Hardware-Based Voice Encryption for iPhone

— March 01, 2013

KoolSpan Inc., developer of the TrustChip family of plug-in mobile security solutions, is offering the TrustChip for iPhone which provides hardware-based encryption for voice.

The fully hardened, self-contained security engine fits into a slim, custom-designed TrustSleeve for the iPhone 4 and 4S. The sleeve acts as an adaptor between the TrustChip and iPhone and contains a separate 1200 mAh battery pack. This provides users with extended battery life of up to 12 hours of talk or 13.5 hours of Internet use.

With the TrustSleeve attached, users can place mutually authenticated and fully encrypted phone calls with the TrustCall application. The app is is based on commercial, off-the-shelf technology.

“A recent National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) report stated federal users should implement hardware-based encryption because it’s more secure," said Bill Supernor, Chief Technology Officer of KoolSpan. "iPhone users can now access and discuss sensitive information in a mobile environment without compromising security.”

The TrustChip is deployed in its own optimized hardware environment and remains insulated from threats that can reside in mobile devices and other platforms. This self-contained structure is designed to ensure that the phone is protected against attacks made on the host device, as well as across network connections. The product provides on-chip key management, authentication, and encryption key generation to provide a hardware-anchor to TrustChip-aware applications.

TrustChip can be removed from one device and placed in another – transferring mobile security from phone to phone. Alternatively, the product can be bound to a single device, rendering it unusable on any other. Once in place, the application runs without user interaction. It automatically accesses security services and provides a security status when calling another secure smartphone. The app remains idle when calls are placed to non-secure phones.

The product features its own cross platform IP push-based call notification system for secure calls. For iOS, Android, and Blackberry, the IP push system uses each platform’s own methods through a central push server to support cross-platform calls.

KoolSpan’s secure voice solution for iPhone is vendor and carrier neutral so it can be deployed internationally across all networks. The company is currently developing an iPhone 5 solution that will be available spring of 2013.

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